Principal Country Economist

Pacific Subregional Office in Suva, Pacific Department

Closing date: 26 May 2011, 5:00p.m. (1700 Manila Time, 0900 GMT)

Job Purpose:

Lead SPSO's Economics and Programming Unit. Supervise, lead, prepare and implement country partnership strategies (CPS), CPS midterm reviews, CPS completion reports, and country business operations plans in SPSO's countries (i.e., Cook Islands, Fiji Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu). Conduct and supervise the preparation of economic studies (e.g. Pacific Island Economic Reports), diagnostic work and thematic assessments (such as environment, governance, poverty assessment, and private sector). Lead the policy dialogue agenda in SPSO countries especially as far as economic policies, public sector management and financial sector policies are concerned. Lead SPSO's regional cooperation initiatives; processing and administration of loan and technical assistance (TA) projects. Provision of regular updates on important operational issues to the Pacific Department's management team. Work within a framework of broad policies, principles and goals, applying a high degree of autonomy in selection of work methods.

Expected Outcomes:

a. Country Strategy and Programming
- Alignment of ADB operations with SPSO's countries' development plans and ADB's medium and long-term strategic frameworks.
- Implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness within the SPSO subregion.
- A high degree of client satisfaction with the services provided by SPSO.

b. Project Processing and Management
- Lead effective design, processing and administration of both delegated and non-delegated loan and TA projects so that intended results are produced.
- Efficient project/program implementation and rapid problem resolution.

c. Economic, Thematic and Sector Work
- Thorough knowledge and familiarity with SPSO's countries' economic, social, bureaucratic and political structures.
- Effective and efficient planning and implementation of SPSO's knowledge work.
- Quality analyses of CPS-related diagnostic assessments (e.g., governance assessment, poverty assessment) and other economic and sector work such as annual reports, Asian Development Outlook (ADO) and TA reports
- Collect relevant economic, social, and environmental statistics for SPSO countries and maintaining appropriate databases
- Conduct of Asian Development Fund country performance assessment for SPSO's countries.

d. Stakeholder and Donor Coordination
- Lead coordination with other development partners and other stakeholders to identify opportunities for joint or coordinated work
- Cordial and effective relations with senior government officials and development partners.
- Coordinate CPS preparation with all development partners and mobilize co financing for joint projects.

e. Regional Cooperation
- Lead SPSO's regional cooperation initiatives and coordinate regional cooperation activities with ADB Headquarters, development partners and developing member countries.
- Mobilize resources for regional cooperation in SPSO countries and ensure consistency of regional programs with the "Pacific Approach" and "Strategy 2020".

f. Knowledge Sharing
- Participate in and contribute to relevant internal and external training and conferences and other activities for advocacy, dissemination and knowledge building.

g. Staff supervision
- Create and lead multi-disciplinary teams and ensure the overall quality of its work.
- Supervise the performance of teams and individuals, providing clear direction and regular monitoring and feedback on performance.
- Provide coaching and mentoring to team and individuals and ensure their ongoing learning and development

Educational Requirements:

A university degree in Economics, or Political Science, Public Policy, Public Administration or other related fields; preferably at post-graduate level or its equivalent.

Relevant Experience And Other Requirements:

- Suitability to undertake the responsibilities mentioned above at the required level
- At least 12 years of relevant professional experience in economic analysis, development planning and policy formulation, implementation and project administration, or related areas
- Excellent oral and verbal communication skills in English
- International experience working in development in several countries.
- Thorough knowledge and familiarity with multilateral development bank's operational policies and procedures;
- Good negotiation skills; and
- Experience/expertise in public sector reform, public financial management, and private sector development or financial sector development would be a bonus.

Core Competencies:

Application of Technical Knowledge and Skills

• Provides supervision to others in completing their technical tasks
• Called upon for advice and guidance based on expertise gained by working in different countries and organizations
• Contributes advanced knowledge and expertise to different parts of the Department

Client Orientation

• Proposes effective services and solutions to staff beyond presenting issues and past challenges
• Assists colleagues adapt to the cultural and business norms of diverse clients and country situations
• Gains respect for the breadth and depth of expertise demonstrated in effectively managing diverse clients and country situations
• Called upon to resolve client situations that may impact their long-term ADB relationship

Achieving Results and Problem Solving

• Resolves situations where client needs are not being met
• Shares past experiences from different projects, organizations, and countries to help achieve quality results
• Ensures that thorough analysis includes current and relevant factors from different countries and contexts
• Sought out for guidance and experience in overcoming the most challenging situations
• Draws on long-term relationships with stakeholders to help plan for and achieve results

Working Together

• Addresses team members not contributing to required standards
• Commits to delivering timely and high quality work to assist in the team's success
• Develops and maintains good internal and external peer and senior level relationships
• Helps teams understand common features to build rapport and overcome challenges

Communication and Knowledge Sharing

• Provides stakeholders with the level and quality of information required to achieve outcomes
• Encourages others to seek long-term solutions to address feedback opposed to focusing on immediate concerns or reactions
• Uses breath of multi-country and multi-client knowledge to equip clients and staff for more effective outcomes
• Designs and implements project and program knowledge and services

Innovation and Change

• Consistently seeks more effective and practical ways for the Departmental delivery of services, products, and processes
• Proposes new ways to improve the quality and relevance of products and services
• Includes the core benefits and reasons for change when developing comprehensive change roll out plans
• Influences and persuades decision makers by presenting business cases supporting the proposed changes

Immediate Reporting Relationships / Other Information:

The position reports to: Regional Director, South Pacific Subregional Office (SPSO).

The following staff positions report to the Country Specialist: National Staff and Administrative Staff